Calm Seas and Rough Thoughts
by Empress Akitla
Summary: What had it been, days or weeks? He had no idea. He had been floating in the ocean for so long. And as another day ends, he decides that he would rather drown then be eaten by sharks. Death starts to welcome him, but a webbed hand grabs his wrist...


**So...this was just a one shot that came to mind whilst watching The Little Mermaid with my three year old cousin today. Anyways, I hope that I've kept the Doctor pretty much in character. Enjoy! :)**

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><p>The sun was setting once again on another eventless day. Reds and oranges bled across the blue water, creeping slowly towards him. The waves of the water were gently carrying him further and further to who knows where. His only company had been the soft lapping of the water against the board he was clinging to, and the beating of his own two hearts. There were no birds that flew over his head like there had been when he first set off on this journey.<p>

How he had gotten himself into this mess, he still wasn't quite sure, which was surprising since he had had so much alone time. What had it been? Maybe it had been a few days, or it could have been a week. His sense of time was off, even considering the fact that he was a Time Lord. It had been years and years since he had lost his senses to the point where he couldn't keep track of the days. Well, maybe the last time was when he had lost Rose….

But that didn't matter right now. It was probably better off that he was alone. His companion most likely would have been worse for wear than what he was, if that was possible. A human could only go so long without fresh water while he could handle much longer spouts without sustenance. But it would have been nice to have someone there beside him. If he could just talk to someone, or have someone just talk to him. His companions would chide him; tell him not to give up hope. Rose would tell him that he couldn't leave her without him.

But he was alone now. His only companion was the lone fin he could just barely see circling in the distance. He had no idea how far he had floated for so many days. Originally, he had started out somewhere on the coast of Fiji on a small vessel with a few other men. There was a rumor that had drawn him there, a rumor about a sea monster. Of course, he let his curiosity get the better of him. He should have felt the storm that was coming. It was like the heavens had opened up and rained fire on them. The ocean was cruel and unforgiving, easily splinting the small ship with a few monstrous waves. He was sure that the others had died in the ferocity of it all. How he had managed to stay alive was still a mystery to him. He guessed that he was just a very lucky man.

Right now, however, he didn't feel quite so lucky. Perhaps a quick death would have been easier on him. Dying of dehydration or starvation didn't exactly strike his fancy at the moment. He glanced over to his right, seeing the fin getting closer, even if it was only by a few inches. Getting eaten by a shark didn't exactly seem ideal either. Perhaps drowning in the storm would have been less stressful.

"Listen to yourself," he croaked. When he spoke or even thought of death, he never really viewed it as something absolute. Where had all his pride and confidence gone? Where was that old Doctor who would never admit defeat or give up so easily? Maybe his mind had finally accepted that this time there was no back door that he could slip out of. Out of all of the insane humans and aliens and monsters that he faced on a daily basis, it was nature that would take him to his grave.

He chuckled slightly at the thought. He had defended this beautiful planet so many times, from both humans and aliens. He had tried to protect its natural wonders and treasures, but with what result? He was going to die by the hand of the sea, and there wasn't a thing he could do to prevent it. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, no chance for him to come up with some brilliant way to escape the inevitable. Hadn't he been told by the Ood that his song was ending?

He twisted his head around again, seeing that three more fins had appeared. Four sharks definitely knew what he had been evading for most of his life was going to come. Wasn't he told that there would be four knocks and then he would die? Perhaps the four echoing splashes of the sharks counted as that. Now that there were more of them, they were starting to close in, each trying to beat the others to him.

But this left him with one question, would he rather be eaten by sharks or drown? He let his mind wonder off to the various facts that he knew about sharks. They were bloody, violent creatures when hunting. He had seen his fair share of shark attacks throughout his travels, and he did not want to let his body be torn up like that while he was still alive.

He released the board, his only life support. His arms were weak from holding on, and his legs were no better. His clothes were heavy and waterlogged, dragging him down beneath the surface of the warm water. He didn't want to fight it anymore. All his life he had been fighting death and it wasn't worth it anymore. Perhaps death would welcome him into the eternal sleep that he had been deprived of for so long. Maybe death would be gentle with him, cradle him against its dark chest as he took his last.

The sparkling surface of the ocean was disappearing fast as he sunk. He could see the shadows of the large sharks cutting through the light with graceful movements. He would say that he would miss life, but the dead don't miss much of anything. He closed his tired and ancient eyes, letting himself just float down to his resting place. Sparks of thoughts shot through his mind, trying to get him to wake up and fight back. His survival instincts were doing their best, but he was also doing his best to ignore them. He would rather drown than be killed by a giant fish with rows upon rows of serrated teeth. Peace could finally cup him in its hands.

He could feel it. Everything was starting to turn to dark as the oxygen in his lungs was used up. His extremities felt numb and there was barely a thought that rushed through his head like usual. Everything was foggy, save for something was touching his wrist. In his last moments, he liked to think that it was Rose saying her final goodbye. But even then, he knew better.

There was no life left in him. He couldn't even crack his eyes open to see what was going on. Nothing mattered anymore, and everything went black.

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><p>The thing that had been touching his wrist was now lying beside him. Long fingers brushed away the dark hair that was matted to his face. A warm, tropical breeze blew across the coast. The waves were lapping at the shoreline, acting as if they wanted to reclaim what was theirs.<p>

He coughed suddenly, rolling onto his side and vomiting out whatever water he had taken in during his ordeal. The first thought that struck him was that he hurt, which meant he was alive. Several thoughts came bulleting through his mind, making his head hurt. He laid his head down, the soft sand gently shifting under his weight. Wait a minute, there was sand….

He bolted upright, instantly regretting his sudden movement. His dark brown eyes were wide with wonder and pain as he took in his new surroundings. The first thing that really caught his attention, however, was the woman that was lying next to him, half emerged in the water.

"Did you save me?" he asked, his voice rough and scratchy from days without water. Out of all the things he could have said, it was the simplest question he had asked.

"Yes," she nodded, her wet black and blue hair shining in the rising sun. "I was afraid that you were dead, mate. You didn't move the entire time that I drug you here."

"Thanks," he whispered, rubbing the nape of his neck. "So, I'm sinking down to the bottom of the ocean and an Australian beauty just so happens to save me right then and there?"

"You're welcome," she said. "And don't forget about the sharks. They were some nasty buggers that didn't want me to swim off with their meal."

"Ah, nearly forgot about them," he ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick up in its usual manner. He turned to her, offering his hand. "I'm the Doctor."

"Brandi," she took his hand with her webbed one, being careful not to prick him with the dark claws on each fingertip.

"I'm going to take a guess and say you're not from Earth," he stated more than asked as he took in her total appearance.

"Not really," she shook her head, releasing his hand. The fins and spines on her back spread out, stretching the webbing between them. The blue, black, and white scales on her lower half glittered in the morning sun as it shed beautiful light onto the new day. "I'm from Fractalia."

"The shining world of water and crystals," he summarized. "A very beautiful planet, that one is. I've never been there before, but I've heard the rumors and stories."

She simply nodded, staring off into the distance. He was mesmerized by her looks, by the gills along her ribs that flared blood red in the land environment that they were not used to.

"Hey, the next time you're out in the ocean by yourself, be more careful," she gave him a small smile as she turned and plunged back into the water. Her head broke the surface, her smile still in place. "And Doctor, don't ever give up like that again."

And then she was gone.

He was left sitting on the beach by himself as the sun poured golden light onto the Australian shoreline. After all he had been through, the storm, the sharks, the endless days and nights, the near drowning experience, he was still able to allow a genuine smile to light up his face. He had seen a mermaid!

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><p><strong>Reviews? Maybe? Thanks for reading! :)<strong>


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